Of War and Conquest
by Druidlicious
Summary: As the Dark Lord moves closer to his goal of domination over the Ministry of Magic, there are a few wizards who fight. Their fight is silent, unseen and unheard by many. They are those known as phoenixes...
1. Chapter 1

**Of War and Conquest:**

_As the Dark Lord moves closer to his goal of domination over the Ministry of Magic, there are a few wizards who fight. Their fight is silent, unseen and unheard by many. They are those known as phoenixes. Members of the Order of the Phoenix, and elite wizards, sent out by Albus Dumbledore himself to fight the Dark Lord…_

Austyn ran through the back alleys, his ragged breath catching in his dry throat as he stopped and listened. He could see nothing, the darkness, coupled with the unnatural mists in the air, mad it impossible to see anything beyond a few metres away. He listened; silently casting a spell to give him enhanced hearing. There! He heard them coming from what sounded like every direction, their excited breath catching as they ran after him. As one of Dumbledore's Phoenixes, he was part of an elite fighting group keeping tabs on the Dark Lord and his cronies, the Death Eaters. This relationship worked both ways however, and the Death Eaters were now chasing him. He cursed himself for getting into this situation, and continued to run.

As he ran, he compiled a list of spells that might help him escape from his present circumstances. He passed over the more flashy ones. The spells that caused loud noises and flashes of light would only get him arrested by the Ministry, and the Death Eaters would know immediately where he was. He considered waiting and springing an ambush upon them, but cast that plan aside also. Fenrir Grayback was with these Death Eaters, and he was just as likely to use his teeth and nails as his wand. Austyn finally considered drawing them out, splitting them up, and taking them out individually. This seemed a much better plan. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder and cast it into the air. As the world turned black around him, Austyn ducked into a nook, and waited for the Death Eaters to blunder past.

*

Elise was watching the scene below. As another of Dumbledore's Phoenixes, she was part of the same force as Austyn. She had been sent out on special orders; her task was to keep an eye on Austyn, as Dumbledore was concerned about his ability to stay out of danger on this particular mission. She saw him throw the instant darkness powder into the air, and concluded that he was going to ambush the Death Eaters. She wondered how she was going to save him from this; he appeared to have gotten into a rather large amount of trouble this time, and one of the Death Eaters had hit him with an anti-Disapparation jinx as he ran. She decided that the only way to act, would be to hit him with the counter jinx, and then use Side-Along Apparition to get him out of here.

While she had been distracted, the Death Eaters had run past Austyn's hiding spot. She heard shouts, confusion and panic, and lauded Austyn's ability to launch an ambush. She sighed with heart, and leapt down, using a feather-light jinx to slow her fall. As she came to rest on the ground next to Austyn, she turned and saw that he was looking back at her with resentment on his face. "I don't need a babysitter to watch me wherever I go…" he began, but he never got the chance to finish his sentence as a stunner hit him in the face, randomly fired off by Grayback. As he slumped into unconsciousness, Elise grinned like a Cheshire cat and grabbed one of his arms and pulled it over her shoulders. "You always need a babysitter" she said to his slumped form. She turned on the spot and disappeared into the crushing space of nothing.

*

As Elise and Austyn, still unconscious, appeared on the doorstep of 13 Grimmauld Place, they were greeted by Dumbledore just walking out of the door. "Elise," he said with concern, "What has happened to Austyn?"

"He forgot the part of your instructions about keeping a low profile, Headmaster, and suffered the consequences" Elise whispered, conscious of the Muggles walking along behind her on the footpath. She hefted Austyn back onto her shoulder and carried him inside, Dumbledore following, and closing the door behind him.

As she struggled into the kitchen of Grimmauld Place, she laid Austyn on the table and pointed her wand at him. "Renervate" she said, as a flash of red lit the room and Austyn regained awareness with a cough and a deep breath. "What happened?" he asked, looking around the room while sitting up. He suddenly realised that Dumbledore was in the room. And he did not look at all happy. "Headmaster," he said reverently, standing up once more, "I apologise for getting myself into this situation, and I sincerely apologise for having to be rescued." Properly bashful, he made his apology to Albus, bowing his head for emphasis. "Worry not, Austyn, for all is forgiven" the Headmaster replied.

Austyn knew what was next, the debrief. He drew a breath, but before he could begin recounting the events of his day, Albus silenced him and gestured to Elise. "I think first that thanks are in order for Elise's brave actions today. Not only did she follow you into certain danger, but she rescued you from said danger as well" Austyn bowed his head once more, this time at Elise, and drew breath to recount his actions. "Headmaster, as you well know, I left this morning to follow the actions of a small group of Death Eaters that were meeting near Subway station 29, for reasons unknown. We suspected that it would be another Muggle attack, like the ones that have occurred recently in regards to the bridge collapse and the "hurricane" in the North Country. This time though, we feared that it was going to be a large scale attack against Muggles on the subway system of London. I followed Fenrir Grayback to the meeting, and tried to cast a subtle listening charm. The charm backfired due to a fault of my own, and I was discovered. I ran from the meeting, fleeing into the back alleys of London, trying to lose my pursuers. I stopped to consider my next course of action, at which point I decided to ambush the Death Eaters by way of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder,"

"At what point did you choose to ignore our method of communication? I developed the talking patronus charm for a reason, Austyn, and I expect you to use the spell" chided Dumbledore. "Yes, Headmaster" agreed Austyn. "Anyway, I threw up the Instant Darkness Powder and slipped into a nook I had noticed. I waited for the Death Eaters to pass me by when Elise," he gestured, "dropped down beside me. I was angry at this point, Headmaster, and I said something along the lines of 'I don't need a babysitter'. Elise smiled and I lost consciousness, awakening here. That is my account of events, Headmaster." Dumbledore looked quickly at Elise and asked if she had cast the stunning spell. She replied that she hadn't and Dumbledore seemed satisfied by this answer. He appeared lost in thought, so Elise and Austyn left the room, knowing that they would be called upon if their services were required once more.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Dumbledore sat down, suddenly feeling every year of his age, plus a few extra years gained through the guilt of his past. He knew that his "Phoenixes" were making little progress against Voldemort. They were halting the tide for now, but there will still things slipping through the cracks, like the bridge collapse. Dumbledore sighed, slumping back in his chair. He resolved to fight harder, and to never give up on his people. Austyn had shown serious initiative today when he had used the Instant Darkness Powder to ambush the Death Eaters, but his actions were not to be emulated by the others, and so, Dumbledore had had to chastise him for it. He sighed again, his work was never easy, and he always found himself butting heads with someone who was supposed to be an ally in his fight against Voldemort. He felt that he was fighting two wars; one against the general magical population in his campaign to make them see the truth; and the other against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. He sighed once more and left the house quietly.

Austyn and Elise walked back out the front door, turned on the doorstop and disappeared. A moment later, they appeared outside the Leaky Cauldron and walked inside. As they found a quiet table in the corner of the room, a hulking figure walked into the room. Austyn recognised him instantly as Fenrir Grayback, the very same Death Eater whom he had followed to the meeting today. Austyn carefully and quietly drew his wand as Elise, seeing his movement, copied him. Grayback either ignored them or didn't see them, as he sat down at another table in the opposite corner of the pub nursing several Firewhiskeys. Austyn and Elise quietly rose and made to leave, just as a silver phoenix patronus soared in through the window of the pub and landed at their feet. The flash of light and movement caught Grayback's attention, causing him to look up and see who the phoenix was communicating with, a sure sign of supporters of Dumbledore. He fixed Austyn with a sinister glare, realising that this witch and wizard were friends of Dumbledore's.

Elise raised her wand to stun Grayback, but as she did, a wand poked her in the back. An excited male voice in her ear said, "Don't even think about it girlie, or I'll make you a very sorry little girlie indeed" Elise slowly looked sideways out of the corner of her eye and was surprised to find that Austyn had disappeared. A moment later, there was a roar of noise and a great blue flash of light that flew around the pub. Austyn reappeared all of a sudden, casting away the Disillusionment charm now that he no longer had to hide himself. "Now who needs a babysitter dearest Elise?" he asked, the picture of innocence. She growled back at him, "I was doing _fine_ by myself thanks so very much!" He merely smiled and pulled her from the pub full of now unaware patrons, and a few Death Eaters who would have no memory of exactly how they had happened to be in the Leaky Cauldron and why. The phoenix, which had been standing still the entire time, now spoke. It merely said, "meet Hogwarts, urgent" and dispersed into a fine silver mist in the air. Austyn and Elise exchanged concerned glances and walked out into the sunny streets of London, turning once more into the crushing darkness of nothing.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Austyn and Elise appeared in the High Street of Hogsmeade, both of them quickly checking their surroundings, before stowing their wands in their robes. Austyn glanced nervously up towards Hogwarts castle, checking for obvious signs of damage or conflict. Upon seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he looked towards Elise, who was now striding towards the distant gates of the castle, where Austyn could see someone waiting for them. He quickly followed her, noticing that their host was none other than Severus Snape, and not one of Elise's greatest friends. Austyn's feelings towards Snape were neutral at the best of times. Snape was constantly dropping snide comments and hints in the direction of those he considered to be lesser wizards; since Snape was a very gifted wizard, this included most of the Order.

As Snape tapped the gates with his wand, a reverberating gong-like sound emanated from within the gates. The chains barring them glowed gold, slid back from their holds, and the gates swung open. Elise swept past Snape without a backward glance, while Austyn gave him a curt nod and walked quickly after her. Austyn, who still had the remains of the hearing spell on his ears, could have sworn he heard Snape mutter to himself, "Still chasing after her like a lovesick puppy, haven't changed since seventh year…" before the wind carried any further mutterings away. Austyn ground his teeth and walked a little faster to catch up with Elise.

As they reached the front doors of the castle, they were confronted by Peeves the Poltergeist, who blew a loud raspberry and then began to sing about the two of them in a very unflattering manner. "Oh Austyn, dear Austyn, it looks like he lost 'em, his poor little lambs ran away. And Elise, sweet Elise, her shape causing release, she chases aft' him like a poor stray!" Elise, upon hearing the verse directed at her, pointed her wand at Peeves, whose tongue was instantly glued to the roof of his mouth. He flew away making rude gestures and shaking his fists. This finally made Elise laugh, her face losing the shadow that had been cast over it by the appearance of Snape at the gates. Austyn, stifling a laugh, pulled her inside the Entrance Hall so that they could meet the majestic figure now descending the steps from the upper floors. As they both inclined their heads to Dumbledore, Elise and Austyn recognised the expression on his face. This was an expression that said that he had a horrendous piece of mischief on his mind, and he needed two of his trusted lieutenants to make sure that this mischievous plan would go ahead.

As Dumbledore reached them, he looked carefully at them both before saying "You were in a fight". It wasn't a question, but more a statement of fact. Before they could tell Dumbledore what had happened, he smiled and said "Never worry, for I have a far more important plan that I would like you both to be a part of." He led them away, a hand on each shoulder, and took them to the entrance of his office, while stating the password, "Cauldron Cakes". They ascended the spiralling staircase, each puzzling over what it was that had Dumbledore so excited about causing, in his own words, "mischief". Although Austyn and Elise were no strangers to mischief, they had never heard Dumbledore use the word quite in this context before. As they finally arrived in Dumbledore's office, all became immediately apparent. "Austyn, Elise, say hello to my special visitor…"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Austyn stepped back, almost falling back down the stairs in surprise. Elise's expression was a stark contrast of Austyn's. She cursed loudly, drawing her wand and pointing it at the man seated in front of Dumbledore's desk. He quickly stood, raising his hands in the air in surprise at the hostile reaction from Elise. She turned to Dumbledore, keeping her wand pointing at the man, "Why the HELL is he in here Dumbledore?" she practically screamed at him. Dumbledore's face was simply the same, serene smile that he always had, as he replied in a much calmer voice, "he is not who you think he is Elise. Tonks, I think that you had better change back to your normal body before Elise here curses you." Before Elise's very eyes, the giant "man" that she had thought was Albert Runcorn, turned back into small, mousey Tonks. Elise gazed at her suspiciously for another second before stowing her wand. Austyn was now sitting against the wall next to the fire place, quite unaware that his cloak was smouldering in the flames. Dumbledore simply smiled once again, and cast a subtle levitation spell, lifting Austyn onto a chair in front of his desk, while putting out the fire in his cloak as well. Tonks, who was also now seated, smiled at Austyn and Elise and then gave an apologetic shrug of the shoulders as Dumbledore also sat down in the chair across the desk from the other three.

"Tonks, I thank you for the test. And I am sure that, given time, and perhaps some of Madam Rosmerta's finest Firewhiskey, Austyn and Elise will forgive you" Dumbledore said to Tonks. Tonks gave another sheepish smile to the pair of Phoenixes, and left the room without another word. Dumbledore gazed after her in the fashion of an elderly uncle watching his favourite niece. He turned his gaze back to the Phoenix pair, a twinkle still in his eye from the trick he had played. "Austyn, your reaction was most unexpected, I believed my Phoenixes to be made of sterner stuff…" he commented lightly. Austyn turned red around his ears and muttered what sounded like curses under his breath. He straightened up in his chair, knowing that no reply was necessary for Dumbledore. Elise was merely quiet, contemplating the implications of Tonks going underground as a Death Eater. Dumbledore, as if he knew her thoughts, said "No, Elise. We need Tonks too much to risk sending her in there alone. Even Alastair Moody wouldn't plant himself as a mole in a Death Eaters stronghold without back up. Elise straightened up in her chair as well, knowing that whatever it was that had happened would be big news. She waited patiently for Dumbledore to begin talking. With a flick of his wand, the room fell quiet, and Elise felt as if pillows were pressed against her ears as the silencing spell took effect on the doors, windows and fireplace. With a satisfied nod of his head, Dumbledore began.

"A short time ago, as you both will know well, there was a bridge collapse in London. Voldemort claimed responsibility for the attack, making good on a threat made to Cornelius Fudge while he was still in office. Fudge was sacked, Rufus Scrimgeour was elected, and the fight against Voldemort truly began, at least in the Ministry's eyes anyway. There have been whispers recently though, that Voldemort is going to plan an attack on Scrimgeour himself, although the timing isn't clear…" "He won't touch a hair on the minister's head!" roared Austyn, standing up as if in defiance of the statement. "Peace, Austyn," soothed Dumbledore, "We are far too prepared for just an eventuality for Voldemort's taste. He would rather us remove our protection and then move against him. As such, I have a new assignment for the two of you. I would like you both to wait until Lucius Malfoy makes one of his regular trips to the ministry, and then you are to follow him home. We believe that Malfoy Manor is the current headquarters for Voldemort and his Death Eaters, and we need you two to LOOK and OBSERVE the Death Eaters, and possibly Voldemort if he appears. Under NO circumstances WHATSOEVER are you to engage any of the Death Eaters in combat. They would instantly realise our presence and they would simply fond somewhere else to meet each other. Do you both understand?" Dumbledore said, levelling a stern gaze at Austyn. Austyn responded with a roguish smile, and Elise nodded her head once before standing to leave. They bowed their heads to Dumbledore and left his office, not knowing when they would see anyone but Death Eaters for some time.


End file.
